Getting to know Pangasianodon hypophthalmus
Pangasianodon hypophthalmus is a fish commodity that has been known for a long time in Indonesia. Fish belonging to this catfish class on the market consist of two popular types of fish, namely Pangasius djambal fish and Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fish.
The Pangasius djambal fish is a native fish from Indonesia, namely from the big rivers in Sumatra and Kalimantan, while the Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fish is a fish imported from Thailand.
The largest fish production centers in Indonesia are in Sumatra and Kalimantan. In this area this fish can be easily found in rivers and lakes.
Classification of Fish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus:
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Pangasiidae
Genus: Pangasianodon
Species: P. hypophthalmus
Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fish has a white body like silver with a dark back but not scaly. The body length of this fish can reach 120 cm. Fish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus has a relatively small head with a mouth located at the tip of the head slightly below. This fish also has two pairs of whiskers located at the corners of its mouth, its function is as a touch tool.
On the back there is a soft fin that is very small in size and the tail fin forms a fork with a symmetrical shape. The anal fin is rather long and has 30-33 soft rays, the pelvic fin has 6 soft rays.
Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fish began to be spawned in Indonesia in 1980 and in 1990 this fish culture began to develop rapidly in West Java, Lampung, southern Sumatra and Kalimantan.
One of the triggers for the booming business of cultivating Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fish is the high selling price of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fish, especially the size of consumption. The high selling price is because this fish has advantages in terms of taste and nutritional content compared to other types of catfish. The protein content of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fish reached 68.7% with a fat content of 5.8%.
Another advantage compared to other types of freshwater fish is that Pangasianodon hypophthalmus has a relatively faster growth rate and this fish can live in locations that have low oxygen levels.